Researchers of the Budapest Petőfi Irodalmi Múzeum (PIM) and the Military History Institute and Museum of the Hungarian Defense Ministry (HM-HIM) signed an agreement to jointly explore the battlefield of Segesvár/ Sighișoara in Transylvania, the location of a key battle of the 1848-49 Hungarian revolution.
The Battle of Segesvár was one of the defining battles of the 1848-49 Hungarian Revolution. It was fought on July 31 and the combined Austrian Imperial and Russian forces dealt a serious blow to the Hungarian revolutionary army. Notably, it was also the battle in which national poet Sándor Petőfi fell at the age of 26.
Hungarian national poet Sándor Petőfi (painting by Soma Orlai Petrich)
The battle was fought around the village of Fehéregyháza/Albești near Segesvár. PIM director Szilárd Demeter said the battlefield has never before been researched with modern archeological methods.
HM-HIM archeologist Balázs Polgár said last year they did some preliminary explorations of the battlefield and during a two-day metal detector search they found 19 artefacts, mostly artillery remains, ammunition, clothing and coins.
Upon completion, the results of the exploration will be presented at a joint exhibition of the two museums.
Title image: Battle of Segesvár, etching by László Bellony
